Trades of Hope is so excited to empower women out of poverty worldwide. We have a heart to work with as many artisans as possible! In order be considered as a new artisan group, we require the below application to be filled out by the founder/owner of the organization/ministry. If you want to recommend a group, please have them fill out the application and submit it to us. Someone will be in contact with an answer within 30 days.

Part 1: General Information for working with us

1. We require that there be someone on the ground organizing the artisan group. We prefer the person to be a resident of the US and speak English. This will make it easy to understand product ordering and sales.

2. We require that the product(s) being made must be marketable in the United States. To help you determine this, please view our current products being sold at www.tradesofhope.com. We also require that the product(s) being made are durable and will “hold up” under daily wear without breakage or “color bleeding.”

3. We will also require you to send sample pictures for us to review along with your wholesale prices for those products. (See below.)

4. We require that organizations have ready access to the resources and materials needed to produce the product in larger quantities. Trades of Hope sells in large quantities, so this means that we purchase in large quantities. We ask that your time for purchasing needed materials be within “days or weeks” and not “months.”

5. We require that each product that Trades of Hope orders in large quantities look the same. Once we place a picture of your product in our catalog, we must provide our customers with an exact representation of that picture, so variations in product hurt the sales and the reputation of both parties.

6. If you are not currently making a product and are requesting ideas from us, we strongly recommend that you first look at your area’s best available resources for manufacturing, and then look on Google or Pinterest for the types of jewelry that are in style. This will help our design team assist you in developing products for the future.

7. We ask that your organization periodically provide us with pictures and stories of the women making the product so we can help our customers identify with them. This helps us sell more of their products

8. We require that your organization have access to shipping and exporting to America from their country with as little amount of lead time as possible.

Part 2: Fair Trade Principles Agreement

Trades of Hope requires that you follow Fair Trade Principles in all areas of production and business practices as outlined below. Please read through these principles and sign (electronically) that you agree and will implement these policies in your organization if Trades of Hope were to choose to work with you. Please note that the term “Members” refers to your role in this agreement.

**The term Members refers to your role in this agreement

Create Opportunities for Economically and Socially Marginalized Artisans Fair Trade is a strategy for poverty alleviation and sustainable development. Members create social and economic opportunities through trading partnerships with marginalized artisans. Members place the interests of artisans and their communities as the primary concern of their enterprise.

Develop Transparent and Accountable Relationships Fair Trade involves relationships that are open, fair, consistent, and respectful. Members show consideration for both customers and artisans by sharing information about the entire trading chain through honest and proactive communication. They create mechanisms to help customers and artisans feel actively involved in the trading chain. If problems arise, members work cooperatively with fair trade partners and other organizations to implement solutions.

Build Capacity Fair Trade is a means to develop artisans’ independence. Members maintain long-term relationships based on solidarity, trust, and mutual respect, so that artisans can improve their skills and their access to markets. Members help artisans to build capacity through proactive communication, financial and technical assistance, market information, and dialogue. They seek to share lessons learned, to spread best practices, and to strengthen the connections between communities, including among artisan groups.Promote Fair Trade Fair Trade encourages an understanding by all participants of their role in world trade. Members actively raise awareness about Fair Trade and the possibility of greater justice in the global economic system. They encourage customers and artisans to ask questions about conventional and alternative supply chains and to make informed choices. Members demonstrate that trade can be a positive force for improving living standards, health, education, the distribution of power, and the environment in the communities with which they work.Pay Promptly and Fairly Fair Trade empowers producers to set prices within the framework of the true costs of labor, time, materials, sustainable growth, and related factors. Members take steps to ensure that artisans have the capacity to manage this process. Members seek to ensure that income is distributed equitably at all times, particularly equal pay for equal work by women and men. Members ensure prompt payment to all of their partners. Artisans are offered access to interest-free advance payment for handmade goods, or pre-finance of agricultural harvest with favorable terms.

Support Safe and Empowering Working Conditions Fair Trade means a safe and healthy working environment free of forced labor. Throughout the trading chain, Members cultivate workplaces that empower people to participate in the decisions that affect them. Members seek to eliminate discrimination based on race, caste, national origin, religion, disability, gender, sexual orientation, union membership, political affiliation, age, marital, or health status. Members support workplaces free from physical, sexual, psychological, or verbal harassment or abuse.

Ensure the Rights of Children Fair Trade means that all children have the right to security, education, and play. Throughout the trading chain, Members respect and support the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, as well as local laws and social norms. Members disclose the involvement of children in production. Members do not support child trafficking and exploitative child labor.

Cultivate Environmental Stewardship Fair Trade seeks to offer current generations the ability to meet their needs without compromising the ability of future generations to meet their own needs. Members actively consider the implications of their decisions on the environment and promote the responsible stewardship of resources. Members reduce, reuse, reclaim, and recycle materials wherever possible. They encourage environmentally sustainable practices throughout the entire trading chain.Respect Cultural Identity Fair Trade celebrates the cultural diversity of communities, while seeking to create positive and equitable change. Members respect the development of products, practices, and organizational models based on indigenous traditions and techniques to sustain cultures and revitalize traditions. Members balance market needs with artisans’ cultural heritage. (http://www.fairtradefederation.org/fair-trade-federation-principles/)

I, as a potential supplier working with Trades of Hope, vow to uphold the above standards, to support fair pay, to respect the rights of children, to promote fair trade and to positively impact the lives of the artisans’ lives in a way that touches their communities and their next generations. I will seek to develop transparent relationships with my artisans and with Trades of Hope, being open and honest with pay information, artisan stories, and with all procedures carried out within the organization/ministry. I vow to always try to respect the environment and to create opportunities for socially marginalized artisans.

* Indicates required field

Founder/Owner of Artisan Group: Please Sign Full Name in Agreement with Above Terms *

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Part 3: Application

Your Organization

What is the name of your organization/ministry? *

Please provide us with your website URL if you have one available *

How did you hear about Trades of Hope? *

What is your full name, title, and email address within your organization/ministry? *

Where is the organization/ministry located? (Country/State/City/Town) *

What is the full name and email of the primary contact for Trades of Hope if we were to choose to work with you? *Contacts must have worked within the company for a good period of time and must be able to speak English and access emails efficiently. *

Please give us your email address and any other important emails to reach you and your group. *

How long has your organization/ministry been in operation? *

What type of business is it? (For example: not for profit, LLC, incorporated, none?) *

Are you Fair Trade Certified, and if so, under what name or umbrella? *

Please describe the surrounding area’s economy and the average minimum wage or hourly pay. *

Please describe why your organization/ministry would benefit from working with Trades of Hope? *

Give a detailed vision of how you would like your organization/ministry to look in 5 years? *

Your People

How many people does your organization/ministry work with? *

Out of those that work with your organization/ministry, what percentage are men and what percentage are women? *

Do you employ anyone younger than 16 years of age? *

What kind of safety measures do you have to protect those that work for you? *

Describe a typical work day for one of your artisans. Please provide details. *

Do you offer any other benefits to your artisans other than just employment? (Meals, childcare). If the answer is no, this does not disqualify you. *

How do the wages you pay compare to other businesses in the community *

Your Products

What kind of products do you make? *

Where do you get the materials for your products? *

What is the full name and email of the one responsible for your product designs? *

How long does it take to produce the following quantity orders of your products: 100, 300, 500, and 1,000 items? (Please explain if there are different production times for different products) *

Would the appearance of your products remain exactly the same if Trades of Hope were to order in large quantities, for example 1-500+ at a time? (Each product must be made to look exactly like the other. However, in certain situations, slight variations are acceptable). *

Is your organization open to working on exclusive designs with Trades of Hope? If so, what local materials/resources are readily available to you and/or what materials do you already work with? Do you have any unique local materials that could be used to create products? *

Can you provide wholesale prices to Trades of Hope? Please include prices of items and attach a detailed pricelist of all products if available. *

Please provide any photos of products. (If you more than one file, please zip files or let us know in above form and we will contact you to see more). *

Max file size: 20MB

Please share 2-3 detailed stories about the artisans/women/families that your organization has helped. Pictures will be required of these families. Please upload pictures in one of the upload sections provided. If you have multiple images, please zip your files and attach. *